Ways to Make an Organic Fertilizer Compost Pit: Doing It Carefully with Step-by-Step System
Since compost is important to grow plants, you may want to learn ways to make an organic fertilizer compost pit. Having your own compost pit can be highly beneficial because you can add up organic matter while boosting soil structure at the same time. Everyone knows that compost consists of tiny matters and healthy microorganisms. Plus, making your own compost can recycle the nutrients and reduce landfill. You can make your own compost pit project, if you have enough space and you are committed to the eco-friendly gardening activities.
Compost and the Pit
Compost refers to the organic decayed materials, and it’s made in the compost bays or bins. However, not all people like to have the structure above the ground. That’s why these people need to have the compost pit (or known as the trench composting), so there won’t be any structure above the ground.
Trench composting is basically about making organic materials in a hole. You must dig the hole, so there won’t be any structure built on the ground. After you dig the hole (or the trench), you can fill it with kitchen scraps or any garden waste. Cover them and just leave them to decompose. You should know that the process is quite a while. In some cases, it can even take around a year. But while you wait, you can use the area to grow plants. After all, the soil would be super nutritious.
The knowledge about how to make compost fertilizer at home with the compost pit is quite ideal, especially for long term application. It’s great to grow hungry plants or to improve the soil quality. English allotment gardeners love doing the traditional bean trench. It’s the trench composting that is done before planting beans (and rows of them). This method is also great to prepare pumpkins, melons, or squashes.
Making the Pit
The first step in learning about ways to make an organic fertilizer compost pit is to dig the trench. You can basically do this any time, but it’s best when you do this in autumn. It will be slow in winter but everything should be ready in summer. Dig the hole for 30 centimeters (60 centimeters, max) in depth. It should be 60 centimeters in width. The length is up to you.
The next one is to fill the hole with waste. Add brown and green with a ratio 50:50. After you fill it in, leave the top area so you can backfill the soil. 15 centimeters should be enough. Feel free to fill it in within one go. However, you can also start from one end and gradually fill it in over months or weeks. Afterwards, you need to water the hole.
The next step is to backfill the pit. Don’t forget to add extra soil (5 centimeters to 10 centimeters would be enough). When composted material breaks down, it will compact, so the extra top will help. In the event you gradually fill in the pit, you must cover the scraps. Everything should be covered so rodents won’t be interested in coming.
Planting on the Top
When learning about ways to make an organic fertilizer compost pit, you can use the area to plant. You can even use the top area of the pit to grow plants. But make sure that you do it after 6 months of the initial step. One common method that gardeners like to use is to divide the area. Do it in thirds. Use the two (of the thirds) for plants and the other one for trench composted. You can learn about variations of composting on the internet.
Compost and Its Main Materials
As it was mentioned before, it’s better to have a ratio of 50:50 for brown and green waste. The ratio isn’t written on stone, but when you get the mixture properly and right, the composting process will run effectively and fast.
Green waste may include veggie and fruit scraps (usually from the kitchen), annual weeds (but the ones that haven’t set any seed), grass clippings, coffee grounds, flowers, and teabags (preferably the plastic free type). The brown waste includes small pruning, ripped up straw or cardboard (the non shiny ones), dead leaves, and shredded paper (again, the non shiny type).
DON’T add up fish and meat, perennial weeds (like dandelions), weed seeds, or diseased plants. If you want to add fish or meat, you will need to dig the pit deeper, at minimum 70 centimeters in depth. Fish and meat also need more time to decompose.
In the end, you can have your own rich soil as well as a place to make your own compost. Making your own pit doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated, but it does take commitment and consistency. After you learn about ways to make an organic fertilizer compost pit, what are you going to do?